It is known to prepare triethylene glycol diamine and tetraethylene glycol diamine. These compounds are known under the tradenames JEFFAMINE.RTM.EDR-148 and JEFFAMINE.RTM.EDR-192, respectively, made by Texaco Chemical Co. These materials are useful as intermediates in the preparation of hydrophilic nylon resins, and as epoxy curing agents. However, in the production of triethylene glycol diamine and tetraethylene glycol diamine, there are also produced significant volumes of bottoms products which are not useful for the same purposes as the primary products. It would therefor be beneficial if a use for these otherwise undesirable bottoms products could be discovered.
The general concept of alkoxylating amines is known. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,465,858 and 4,479,010, incorporated by reference herein, which describe procedures for alkoxylating polyoxyalkyleneamines.
Conventional amino polyols which are known to be useful in the preparation of rigid polyurethane foams include THANOL.RTM.R-350-X, an aromatic amino polyol having a hydroxyl number of 530 produced by Texaco Chemical Co., described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,297,597 incorporated by reference herein; QUADROL.RTM. offered by BASF, which has the structure: ##STR1## and VORANOL.RTM.800 offered by Dow Chemical Co., which has the structure: ##STR2##